The Great Big Game Show: A group night at CityCentre

If you have a group that is tired of the same old dinner-and-drinks routine, Houston has a new option that leans into the competition. The Great Big Game Show opened at CityCentre Houston, and it is exactly what the name promises: an immersive, game-show style experience where two teams face off in a series of mini-games on a set built to look like a television studio. It is built for groups, and it is one of the few activities in the city that works just as well for a corporate off-site as it does for a family birthday.

The format is straightforward. Two teams go head-to-head in a string of mini-games, each round testing something different — strategy, trivia, speed, and a fair amount of luck — as you battle for points and bragging rights. Among the games, Blaster Blitz lets you fire foam at on-screen targets before the clock runs out, Blockchain has you connecting spaces and answering questions on a competitive letter board, and Build It Up gives you sixty seconds to stack giant blocks into the tallest tower possible. CityCentre General Manager Emily Pich has called Chip Shot one of the favorite mini-games to host, so that is the one to keep an eye on.

It is not a small-scale operation, either. The experience is run across the country by the likes of PepsiCo, Amazon, Google, and Apple, and it carries a 5.0 rating on Google from more than 7,000 reviews. The sweet spot is groups of 15 to 29-plus people of all ages, though it can take groups of eight or more if you are willing to pay per player. The Split-Studio package covers 15 to 28 guests at $35.99 a person, and a full buyout is the move for groups of 29 or more, which comes with a custom quote. Every package includes a game host, a dedicated event planner, an hour of game time, and a 30-second highlight reel to take home. If you are booking for a corporate buyout, they can turn around a custom quote on the same day.

What makes it easy to slot into a night out is the location. It sits at 794 Sorella Ct #127 in CityCentre Houston, and the venue stays open daily from 8 AM to midnight, which is a good deal longer than CityCentre itself, which runs 10 AM to 6:30 PM. Parking is free on the upper levels of CityCentre's two garages — the closest one is on Queensbury Lane, across from Queensbury Theatre, with another behind Star Cinema Grill. From there, you are about 20 minutes from George Bush Intercontinental Airport and roughly the same distance to the University of Houston and Rice University.

Whether you are planning a birthday for kids, teens, adults or seniors, a team-building retreat, or a bridal or bachelor party, it is a low-stress way to get a large group doing the same thing at once. If you want to book or have questions, you can reach them at (346) 299-1760 or Hello@GreatBigGameShow.com, and they tend to get back to you within a business day.